It has recently been discovered that directly neuromodulating one or more target dorsal root ganglion (DRG) can be used to treat various types of conditions associated with or influenced by the nervous system. Such neuromodulating often involves stimulating one or more target DRG for the purpose of treating pain. However, other types of conditions that can be treated by stimulating target DRG include itching, Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, movement disorders, spinal cord injury, asthma, chronic heart failure, obesity and stroke (particularly acute ischemia), to name a few.
Neuromodulation of a target DRG can be achieved using an implantable neurostimulator (INS) that is implanted within a patient. More specifically, one or more leads, each including one or more electrodes, is/are also implanted within the patient and connected to the INS to enable the INS to deliver electrical stimulation therapy to a target DRG using electrodes of the lead(s). The INS is typically in wireless communication with an external patient programmer that enables the patient to manually turn on and off the delivery of stimulation, as well as to enable the patient to adjust stimulation parameters, such as stimulation pulse amplitude and/or stimulation pulse repetition rate, depending on how the patient is currently feeling.
Accordingly, the patient typically needs to carry around the patient programmer to enable them to adjust their stimulation. This is due to the fact that a patient's desire for therapy, and a patient's desired level of therapy, may vary over time. If the INS is delivering electrical stimulation therapy to a target DRG during periods of time when the patient is not in need of such therapy, energy is wasted. Further, if stimulation parameters are set higher than necessary to treat the targeted pain, energy is also wasted. Wasting energy may result in needing to frequently replace the INS, which involves surgically explanting an INS and implanting a replacement INS. If the INS is not delivering electrical stimulation therapy to a target DRG during periods of time when the patient is need of such therapy, the patient may be uncomfortable. Further, if stimulation parameters are set too low, the patient will not receive the desired pain relief, and thus, the patient may be uncomfortable.